Via M&C:
The European Union is to send a team of border experts to Italy within 24 hours to help shore up frontier teams overwhelmed by a flood of migrants from Tunisia, officials said Saturday.
Italian authorities say over 5,000 people have landed in the tiny southern island of Lampedusa since mid-January, when a democratic uprising toppled Tunisian president Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali. Italy has demanded EU help to deal with the rush.
'As of tomorrow, 20 February 2011, the Frontex mission 'Hermes' will officially be deployed to assist the Italian authorities in managing the inflow of migrants from Northern Africa,' EU Home Affairs Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom said.
(source)
